


Purple is Definitely a Christmas Color

by SilenceIsGolden15



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Christmas Party, Gen, Team as Family, some fluff for the soul
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 07:36:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17157929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilenceIsGolden15/pseuds/SilenceIsGolden15
Summary: Fluffy space cats get introduced to the Christmas Spirit.





	Purple is Definitely a Christmas Color

**Author's Note:**

> This is for the Keithmas Exchange for the Keith Protection Squad discord, specifically for @Kitsune1818 on tumblr. Hope you like it!

“What. Is. That.”

Acxa was expecting one of the MFE pilots to answer, considering they were the ones swarming the pointy… green… thing in the lounge. But instead the answer came from her right.

“It’s a Christmas tree,” said Keith as he came up alongside her. For a moment her shoulders tightened before she forced them to relax. Sure, she and he hadn’t had a lot of time to talk since she joined the crew of the Atlas, what with him leading Voltron and all, but that was no reason to act strange around him. 

She raised an eyebrow. “What is christ-mas?”

“It’s an Earth holiday.” A puzzled frown creased his lips. “Though where they got the tree when we’re in the middle of space, I don’t know.”

Kinkade, from where he was filming his cohorts as they made a mess trying to decorate the strange tree, called, “Colleen grew it in the lab as a surprise!”

Keith grinned wryly. “I should’ve guessed.”

“So,” Acxa crossed her arms, trying not to be too awkward. Her presence on the ship made things that way sometimes, though she didn’t understand why. “What’s the holiday about? What are the traditions?”

Keith, at least, was easy to talk to. They understood each other. 

He mimicked her posture, his red Garrison blazer rumpling over his shoulders. “Well I’m not an expert, but I think it was originally a winter festival. Then it became religious, it was the day Jesus Christ was born according to one holy text, but by the time I was growing up that had mostly phased out.”

“Ah, I see.” She really didn’t, but whatever. Culture shock was something she’d gotten used to. 

“So yeah, mostly it involves decorating trees like these ones and exchanging gifts with your friends and family. There’s also usually a big dinner.” 

“Oh. Are the gifts mandatory? Will others be offended if certain customs are not followed?”

Keith laughed, though whether it was at her or at Griffin falling off a ladder as he tried to put something on top of the tree, Acxa couldn’t tell. 

“Nah, you don’t have to get anyone anything. It’s just for fun. Shiro probably won’t even know it’s happening until he walks in here.”

Acxa gathered up fistfuls of her jacket, bunching it up around her ribs. It was odd, considering people doing things like this for fun. The Galra used to have many festivals, but that had been before the destruction of Daibazaal, and now there were only a few to celebrate the Emperor. Or there had been. Maybe that was changing again.

The slide of the lounge door distracted her from her thoughts, and both she and Keith turned to see who it was. Surprisingly it was Krolia, followed closely by Kolivan, both still in their Blade uniforms and fresh from space travel. Krolia’s face lit up when she saw her son, and if Acxa’s eyes weren’t deceiving her, so did Kolivans.

“Mom,” said Keith with a pleasantly surprised grin, “I thought you weren’t going to be checking in for another couple of days.”

Krolia didn’t answer at first, too busy folding Keith into her embrace, so Kolivan answered for her, shaking his head fondly.

“The mission took less time than expected, so we decided to rendezvous early.” 

Mother and son parted, Krolia letting out a gasp at the sight of the tree Kinkade had just dumped a box of silver strings over. 

“Keith, is it Christmas time?”

Keith blinked up at her. “You had Christmas with my dad?”

“A few, yes.” Her lips stayed curled in the same gentle smile she usually wore around Keith, but her eyes grew a tinge sad. “Your father and I would find some scrub bushes to stack in the corner to use as a tree and exchange a few presents. The last year was with you— your father gave you a red blanket that you adored.” 

Keith huffed a bit through his nose, and despite all her efforts, Acxa couldn’t quite decipher his expression. 

“I wish I could remember.”

“I assume this krist-maas is an Earthling holiday?” Said Kolivan, breaking up the somber atmosphere. “How does one participate? Earth culture is so interesting.”

That drew a barked laugh from Keith. “Don’t let Lance catch you saying that. He’ll go overboard on you.”

“I think it would be fun.” Krolia gave Keith’s shoulder a squeeze. “There’s not much to do by way of gifts in the middle of space, but that’s not really the point, is it?”

“Really?” Acxa didn’t realize she had spoken aloud until everyone looked at her, and by then it was too late to stop. “Then what is the point?”

“The point,” said Keith, “is to spend time with people you love. Or at least that’s what all the Hallmark movies say.”

Well, she didn’t know what that second part meant, but the holiday sounded nice. At least it would have if she had anyone she loved still. 

She was pretty certain her expression was flat, but somehow Keith saw through her. 

“We should do something together,” he said with his determined face. “All of the Blades and the other Galra.” 

“But—“

“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” Krolia interrupted. “I’ll speak to the others on the ship. Now I should go change out of this armor.” 

“Ok mom, see you in a bit.”

Krolia and Kolivan took their leave. By then the MFE Pilots had completed their decoration of the tree, which was decked out in gold and red and silver. Ceramic balls of various sizes were hung amongst its branches, shining under the lights of the Atlas, and on one side was a grouping of different colored orbs she was pretty sure were meant to represent Voltron.

“Sorry if I made you uncomfortable.” Acxa tore her eyes away from the tree to send Keith a questioning look. “I just kinda sprung the invitation on you. You don’t have to come, if you don’t want to.”

She studied his expression. Always so open and telling. “Do you want me there?”

He didn’t seem surprised at the question. He just smiled a bit. 

“Yeah, I do.”

Hm. Interesting. 

“Alright. I’ll go.” 

* * *

The actual event happened a few days later. There seemed to be a lot of them happening all at the same time— all the humans were rushing to and fro the decorated halls with the most dopey grins on their faces. Acxa watched them go with a scoff and continued on her path.

She’d been the only person on the training deck that morning. Even Keith and Krolia hadn’t come, which she assumed was because they were celebrating together. Then on the way from the showers she’d glimpsed all the Paladins in the lounge together, including the Captain, having their own celebration.

Now she was going to another one specifically for the Galra on board, and she was already wondering how Keith was going to deal with so much ongoing socialization. (She was wondering the same of herself).

The “party” as Keith had called it was taking place in one of the smaller lounges on the lower levels of the Atlas, tucked away by the crew quarters. The room itself wasn’t too decorated which she appreciated— the lights glinting and sparkling off of everything irritated her eyes.

Most everyone else were already there. The Blades clumped together in small groups across the room, murmuring to each other, unrecognizable in normal clothes. Sal was in the back corner, manning a small table of snacks that the Yellow Paladin had probably helped him with. 

Keith, Krolia, and Kolivan sat together, cross-legged on the floor and sitting through a pile of loose papers. Curious, and with nothing else to do, Acxa wandered over in their direction.

“No, no, that one is for Jaybez, and that one is for Krel. That one’s for Vax—“

“What’s on the paper?”

Keith startled in the midst of his sentence and glanced up at her. Then he smiled.

“Hey, Acxa. They’re nothing much, just,” he shuffled the pile of papers, which Acxa had just noticed were covered in streaks of grey, “I just felt bad having a Christmas party without giving anything to anyone, so I did some sketches.”

Acxa knelt down to study the drawings further as Keith rambled in the background. There were upwards of thirty sheets of paper, each with a different rough sketch of a person or group of people on it. How he remembered all of their different faces, she had no idea.

“They’re not that good, but—“

“Nonsense,” said Krolia, grabbing one of the pages from the pile. “The time it took to make them is present enough. Acxa, this one is for you.”

Acxa took the offered page with the gentlest fingers she could muster. On it was a portrait of four people, leaning on each other and smiling. It was herself, Zethrid, Ezor, and Narti, with Kova curled around her shoulders.

For the first time since she was a kit, tears sprung to Acxa’s eyes.

“Shit, I knew I shouldn’t have drawn them,” Keith fussed upon seeing her reaction. “I just didn’t know who else to add and you guys seemed close so—“

“It’s alright.” She wiped her cheeks, banishing the tears for a more appropriate time. “I… I appreciate this. Thank you, Keith.”

He flushed until his cheeks matched his scar. “You’re, um, welcome.”

They left her alone as they bustled around the room, handing out the other drawings, giving her time to think.

She did miss them. All of them. Even Lotor, as screwed up as he was. But as much as she missed them, as much as her heart ached in her chest for what was familiar, she could recognize how special this day was too. Being surrounded by… well, not friends, per se. More like those who are the same as her. People who could be friends, if she dared to take the risk.

Acxa snuck a glance around the room at the other Blades. Most were full-blooded, but here and there she could glimpse halfbreeds. Like Keith. Like her. 

Her musing was abruptly ended when Krolia dropped down beside her.

“Do you want anything?” She asked. “Sal has drinks and some cookies and stuff. They’re pretty good. Better than food goo anyway.”

Acxa mustered up a smile. “Not right now, thank you. Maybe in a bit.”

When she looked up, Krolia’s eyes were locked on her drawing.

“I understand how you feel,” she said to Acxa’s eyebrow raise, holding out her own page. Hers had more effort put into it, that much was clear. It had a background, another one of those trees and a sofa, with two figures sitting on it. Krolia, and a human man she assumed was Keith’s father, and in Krolia’s arms was a blanket bundle she had to assume was Keith as a kit.

It was, frankly, adorable. 

“Good memories aren’t less good when the person is gone,” Krolia murmured. “Just a little sad, too.” 

“Yes. I suppose so.”

“How have things been for you?” Krolia sounded so soft and concerned, motherly even, that Acxa wasn’t sure she could’ve resisted it she wanted to.

“It’s… it can be hard sometimes. My experiences aren’t exactly universal.” Krolia gave a sympathetic smile. “But it’s getting better. Veronica said she wanted to be friends so I’ve been trying to be less guarded.” 

“Good. Life is easier with friends.” 

Acxa glanced up at the room bustling around them. Keith and Kolivan were at the snack table, Keith chuckling at Kolivans expression as he tried a bite of something. 

“Sal’s drinks are actually really good. You should try one.”

“I think I will.” 

* * *

By the time she made it back to her bunk it was past dinner time and she was feeling uncharacteristically giddy. A small smile curled her lips and refused to leave, fueled by the fullness of her belly and the remaining warmth in the back of her throat from the last cup of that sweet drink she’d had. 

She kind of wanted to take a nap, despite not having done such a thing since she was a child. She may even just let herself do it, but first she had something she needed to do.

Ten minutes and a few strips of tape later, Keith’s gift was firmly attached to the wall above her bed. 

  
  
  
  



End file.
